Improvement in ornamentation of fire-arms and other articles of metal



O. BODENSTEIN. Ornamentation of Fire-Arms and Other-Articles of Metal.

No. 210,' 446'. Patented Dec. 3, I878.

I WlTNE SEE: INVENTUR NIPETERS. PHDTO-LITHQGRAPHER. wnsumeroN D UNITED STATES Parana: (Erica.

OTTO BODENSTEIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN ORNAMENTATION 0F FIRE-ARMS AND OTHER ARTICLES 0F METAL.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 210,446, dated December 3, 1878 application filed September 23, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'r'ro BODENSTEIN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Ornamentation of Fire-Arms and other Articles of Metallic Manufacture; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The drawing represents a side elevation of a revolving pistol ornamented in accordance with my improvements, in which the letters A designate the deep cuts or body-lines of any desired figure of ornamentation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make use of my invention, I will now pro-,

ceed to fully describe the same.

In the ornamentation of revolvers and other articles made of iron or steel, the usual mode of ornamentin g is to engrave them before plating. The surface of said articles, to be in a proper condition to receive the electroplating,

must be finely finished and polished, and such parts as are not so finished and polished will present a rough and unworkmanlike appearance. The lines or engraved figures are, therefore, made of slight depth and width, that they may not present too great a surface of rough and unfinished work, and as it is quite impossible to trace over the engraved lines with a finishing-tool without to a great extent destroying their outlines and form, so, also, when it is desirable to cut deep and wide body-lines for figures, it would require great skill and be too expensive an operation to finish the deep cuts with a tool, so as to receive properly the plating, andif not so finished and plated the deep cuts would soon become affected by moisture and rusted, and the article rendered unsightly and unmerchantable.

The object of my invention is to overcome the difficulties hereinbefore mentioned, and to produce a style of ornamentation void of the usual monotonous appearance, and one that presents a pleasing contrast and diversity of colors, and yet protects all the parts of ornament-ations from the effects of rust.

My improvement consists in the application to the deeply engraved or cut body-lines of figures on articles A of metallic manufacture, which engraved lines or cuts of figures are made thereon after the said articles have been plated, of a coloring substance, as hereinafter fully set forth.

The manner of applying the coloring is as follows: Itemove all the grease and dirt from the article with a cotton rag or any similar substance, then wash the article with alcohol, and when dry apply the coloring substance with a small camels-hair brush to the deep-cut portions or body-lines of the engraved parts, and immediately remove the surplus of the coloring, leaving that contained within the deep-cut parts which lie below the general surface.

This operation is best performed by drawin g over the surface the edge of a paper card,

which removes all the plastic coloring from the surface of the article, but passes over such portions as are received into the engraved or cut parts. The article is now set aside until dried, when the operation is repeated for a second time, and, when sufficiently dry, polished with apiece of chamois-skin.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein-described method of ornamenting plated-metal surfaces, which consists in applying a coloring substance to and in the deep engraved or cut body-lines of figures formed on articles of metallic manufacture af ter such articles have been coated or plated by nickel, silver, or other plating substances, or when havingbeen bronzed or blued, whereby parts so cut in the articles are preserved from rust by moisture or dampness and the articles ornamented, substantially as and for the pur pose set forth.

OTTO BODENSTEIN.

Witnesses:

JAMES O. MERWIN, JOHN H. HOWELL. 

